Glasnevin Trust's mission statement is to "Preserve the Past for Future Generations", established almost 200 years ago by Daniel O'Connell, to provide a burial place for people of all religions and no religion, Glasnevin Cemetery has grown in historical significance to become Irelands Necropolis.
Glasnevin Cemetery is the final resting place for over 1.1 million people. At Glasnevin Trust we act as guardian to the stories of these ordinary and extraordinary people who have shaped the Ireland we live in today.

Glasnevin Trust wants to share the stories and experiences with you, and you can interact with us in a number of different ways.

Glasnevin Trust has digitised their cemetery records and made them available for you to use our Online Genealogy, this is a great addition to anyone creating a family tree or conducting historical research.

Glasnevin Trust is a not for profit organisation, charity number 5849: all proceeds from sales to towards the upkeep of our cemeteries.

Glasnevin Cemetery

Glasnevin Cemetery was established in 1832 under the direction of Daniel O’Connell for the purpose of burying “people of all religions and non”. The cemetery encompasses 124 acres and 1.5 million burials. Glasnevin has great national heritage through the social and historical history of the people buried there from all walks of life over 178 years.

Famous people interred there include the founder of the Cemetery - Daniel O’Connell, Charles Stewart Parnell, O’Donovan Rossa, Eamon De Valera, Michael Collins, Countess Markiewicz, Maud Gonne McBride, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Brendan Behan, Christy Brown, Jimmy O’Dea, Luke Kelly, Alfred Chester Beatty, Michael Cusack and Liam Whelan. Less acclaimed people include victims of the Great Famine, the Cholera outbreaks and the Air India crash as well as the babies in the old Angels plot which was renovated and inaugurated by Presi dent McAleese in 2005. The new Angels plot (1970 to present day) is currently undergoing renovation.

The Cemetery’s most famous architectural feature is the 51 metre high O’Connell Tower, designed by George Petries and made of Wicklow granite, where the remains of Daniel O’Connell are interred in a family crypt directly below the tower. It is the highest round tower in Ireland. The crypt and tower have recently been restored in conjunction with the OPW and are open to the public for the first time since 1970.

Design

The opening of Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris in 1815 provided much-needed inspiration for cemetery designers, who had hitherto designed fairly functional cemeteries. With Père Lachaise as an example, the garden cemeteries were initially informally landscaped, with sweeping roads wide enough for carriages, and smaller paths for strolling. Careful planting -- particularly of trees -- and architectural features that impressed or drew the eye were key features. The whole effect was that of a private, landscaped park, with a central chapel instead of a country house.

Garden Cemetery

Unlike churchyards, these cemeteries were independent of a parish church, were located outside the city in what were then suburbs. These cemeteries became known as 'garden cemeteries'.

Glasnevin Crematorium

For many thousand of years, cremation has been used as an alternative method of disposing remains after death. The first cremator was invented in Padua Italy in 1873. In 1963 the Roman Catholic Church permitted cremation. In 1982 Glasnevin Trust established the first crematorium for all those in the Republic of Ireland who wish to use the service of cremation. It is one of the most modern in Europe and the number of people cremated in the country has risen year after year.